Developing adaptive capacity for coping with climate change in rural Vietnam – Exploring the underlying learning process

Global warming is considered to be one of the main societal problems of the 21st century. Climate change already affects Vietnam in every sector and region, and the impacts are projected to increase under future socio-economic and climatic change. The Vietnamese agricultural sector is particularly vulnerable to current and future climate risks primarily because of the low capacities of local farming communities to respond. These local farming communities play an integral part in ensuring food security and creating sustainable livelihoods across Vietnam. Social learning is considered to be an important mechanism to develop the adaptive capacity of these local farming communities, but this has been explored mostly theoretically and hardly empirically. The research objective is to understand and explain the learning processes and their underlying principles that can increase the adaptive capacity of farming communities in coastal Vietnam to respond to current and future climate change risks, as well as to understand the enabling and constraining conditions that effect those learning processes. To this end, this study will use a number of mixed of quantitative and qualitative methods and data, including systematic review, survey methodology, interviews and local intervention workshops. The research will particularly focus on the farming communities in the North Central Coast, as an important economic region of Vietnam.  Four specific studies are designed which will result in an article-based PhD dissertation.

About Thi Hong Phuong Le

Before coming to Wageningen University, Phuong had been lecturer at Faculty of Extension and Rural development, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry (HUAF) since 2005. She graduated from HUAF in 2005 with major in BSc Agronomy and from SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Uppsala, Sweden) in 2010 with major Msc Rural Development (with Specialization in Livelihood and Natural Resource Management). Her master thesis focused on climate change adaptation in agricultural production in Central coastal area, Vietnam.

Besides that, she also is researcher at Centre for Community Research and Development (CCRD, HUAF) and Central for Climate Change Study in Central Vietnam (CCSCC, HUAF). Her work relates to teaching Bachelor students in Agricultural Extension, Community Development, Gender and Development subjects, But also to inter-disciplinary research and training on agricultural extension staff, supporting sustainable livelihood development as well as mitigation and adaptation to climate change. She participated in many projects on rural and community development in coastal areas.

Key words

• Climate change
• Adaptation
• Adaptive capacity
• Social learning
• Governance
• Farming community
• Coastal area

Project team

• Le Thi Hong Phuong, Msc
• Prof. Dr. Arjen E.J.Wals
• Dr. G.Robbert Biesbroek
• Dr. Le Thi Hoa Sen